Christmas came early for Rocky View Schools (RVS) as Premier Alison Redford made the announcement Dec. 18 that Airdrie will receive a new kindergarten to Grade 4 school in Cooper's Crossing.
Christmas came early for Rocky View Schools (RVS) as Premier Alison Redford made the announcement Dec. 18 that Airdrie will receive a new kindergarten to Grade 4 school in Cooper's Crossing.
"We're really excited about it," Redford said to students during the announcement made at Nose Creek Elementary School.
"It will mean more space for you here and more space for other kids on the west side of town."
The new school is the fourth school to be announced in Airdrie in the last three years. W.H. Croxford High School in Chinook Winds, C.W. Perry School in Sagewood and Ècole Francophone d'Airdrie in Kings Heights were announced in May 2011 and are all anticipated to open in 2014.
"This is awesome news. It's so needed," said RVS Board Chair Colleen Munro. "The first of what we hope is many more (new schools) in Rocky View."
Munro said though the early Christmas gift is a good one there is still a need for more new schools throughout RVS' division including the ever-expanding populations in Cochrane and Chestermere.
She said the board is still waiting to hear if the 10 portables they have requested for Mitford School in Cochrane will be approved to help ease the pressure of the large population in that school.
"The (growth) pressures in Rocky View Schools isn't going away," she said.
Though no date of anticipated completion was given for the new school, Minister of Education Jeff Johnson speculated the school would be finished in three years time, as seems to be the trend with recent school announcements.
"We want these things operational in the 2016 school year," Johnson said.
"It's very typical in the past, when you look at the roll out from the previous announcements, that schools are built and ready for operation in three years."
Airdrie MLA Rob Anderson said he hopes the school is completed as soon as possible.
"It's a great day anytime our community gets a new school announced," he added.
"We're thrilled that the government is listening and understands we have significant growth pressures," Mayor Peter Brown said, adding having the premier and two ministers come to Airdrie to make this announcement showed him they really recognize the need here.
He said Airdrie is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada and this school is the result of a combination of efforts from RVS, the community and the City.
The new school is one of six new Alberta schools announced this month. Calgary, Edmonton, Grand Prairie will each get a new school and two will be built in Fort McMurray.
"We're proud of the fact that we are building Alberta and we are going to keep talking about the fact that we're doing it because at the end of the day having communities like Airdrie where young families can move is what's going to attract people to our province," Redford said.
